Vehicle control apparatuses proposed conventionally are used with a range-finding sensor, such as an ultrasonic sensor, being installed in vehicles. In such a vehicle control apparatus, objects, such as a preceding vehicle, a pedestrian, or an obstacle, in the environment of the vehicle are detected and the results of the detection are used as a basis for performing various types of control for improving the vehicle's running safety. The various types of control can include, for example, operating the brakes of the vehicle and providing notifications to the driver.
With such a vehicle control apparatus, when an obstacle has been detected in the travel direction of the vehicle, the vehicle is controlled to restrain (limit) the drive force in the travel direction. If at that time there is a step or the like between the vehicle and the obstacle, then even if there is a sufficient separation between the vehicle and the obstacle for the vehicle's possible approach to the obstacle, the drive force sufficient for the vehicle to cross over the step is not supplied. Accordingly, the vehicle cannot cross over the step and thus cannot sufficiently approach the obstacle.
PTL 1 describes a driving support apparatus as technology for enabling a vehicle to cross over a step present between the vehicle and an obstacle. With the driving support apparatus described in PTL 1, if there is an obstacle in the travel direction of the vehicle, the drive force of the vehicle is restrained. In addition, if there is a step between the vehicle and the obstacle, the driving support apparatus applies control for gradually increasing (boosting) the restrained drive force to cross over the step. The driving support apparatus then determines whether the vehicle has crossed over the step, using detected values derived from a wheel speed sensor. When it is determined that the vehicle has crossed over the step, the driving support apparatus restores the drive force to the restrained state from the increased state.